Freeport’s PIAA volleyball title defense ended by Philipsburg-Osceola

By: Tyler Kolesar
Saturday, November 11, 2023 | 5:27 PM

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Defending PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball champion Freeport saw its title defense come to an end Saturday at Chuck Daly Memorial Gymnasium in Punxsutawney. District 6 champion Philipsburg-Osceola — a team the Yellowjackets defeated in the Class 2A semis a year ago — swept Freeport in the quarterfinals, 25-15, 25-22, 25-22, as it marked the final career contest for four seniors.

Freeport trailed the undefeated Mounties (24-0) for the majority of the first two sets before P-O pulled away down the stretch. The Yellowjackets (21-2), however, didn’t go away quietly and held a 9-3 lead in the third set before the Mounties battled back, eventually taking a 16-15 lead as both teams would swap a third set lead. P-O took the lead for good at 23-22.

Freeport’s Alaina Whitlinger had 13 kills and two blocks, and Sydney Selker had nine kills and a block in her final high school game. Meanwhile, Philipsburg-Osceola senior and Indiana commit Reese Hazelton had 23 kills, five aces, 17 digs and eight service points.

“I think Alaina (Whitlinger) coming off the bench was marvelous,” Freeport coach Tom Phillips said. “She brought her game today and really had a lot of great energy. I think we struggled to pass the ball today. We struggled to stay in system today. We were more worried about (Hazelton) and about the big swing than we were about staying in system and being able to pass the ball.

“A lot of hitting errors early on. To complete this game, you’ve got to play 25 solid points. You can’t turn it on once you get to 15 or 18 or whatever. It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to play the game the whole way through.”

Last year’s semifinal meeting was also at Punxsutawney High School, and Phillips was clear about his thoughts on the school and the officials postgame.

“I’m not a complainer, but I’ve got to say this,” Phillips said. “To have a match of this magnitude in a gym like this is atrocious. It’s atrocious. And to have elementary and middle school referees referee this game, it’s even more atrocious. Absolutely unbelievable from the standpoint of the PIAA to put referees that they had here and in a facility like this.

“It’s shameful. We played hard, and Philipsburg’s a great team. There’s no question about it. But when you’ve got to battle not only the opponent but the officials, it’s a sad thing.”

Saturday’s game marked the final one in the careers of Selker, Autumn English, Josie Russo and Grace Beach.

“They’re great, and they’ve been resilient all year,” Phillips said. “They played great all year and they have no reason to put their head down or to not feel satisfied because they had a great season.”

Tags: Freeport